NASA Astronaut Lands on Oregon Coast, Speaks at Convention

Published 05/29/2012

(Seaside, Oregon) – NASA astronaut Michael Barratt will not only be really down-to-Earth this weekend – but he'll be at sea level. The veteran of a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station will be the featured speaker on June 2 in the north Oregon coast town of Seaside, as part of the Sea-Pac Northwest Amateur Radio Convention. (Above: Seaside at night)

Barratt himself is an avid ham radio enthusiast (handle KDMIJ), and his keynote address is entitled "Living in the Ultimate Ham Platform.” Here, he will talk about his most recent spaceflight mission – the last shuttle mission – and tell the audience about life aboard the space station and the use of ham radio in the orbiting laboratory. The talk starts at 8:30 p.m. at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center at 415 First Ave. in Seaside, Oregon.

Astronaut Barratt - photo courtesy NASA

Barratt has been aboard two spaceflights in the last few years. After being selected by NASA in 2000, he was flight engineer on Expeditions 19 and 20 to the International Space Station in 2009. There, he lived in space for an astounding 199 days. Then in 2011, he served as mission specialist on the final flight of the space shuttle, known as STS-133. The mission was for 13 days, ending on March 9, 2011.

Although a spaceman by profession, Barratt is firmly grounded in the northwest. He was born in Vancouver, Washington and resides in Camas. He currently serves as Associate Editor for Space Medicine for the journal, Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine and is senior editor of the textbook, Principles of Clinical Medicine for Space Flight.

The ham radio operators convention has been a staple on the Oregon coast for years – three decades, in fact. This is the convention's 30th anniversary in Seaside, attracting Sea-Pac members from five northwestern states.

The convention and Barratt's talk are open to the public. Barratt's talk is part of the banquet and will require a $25 ticket, which includes food. (Above: stars and other celestial objects above Cannon Beach)

One of the organizers of the event, Wayne Schuler, said the convention is expecting over 2,000 people this weekend.

See http://www.seapac.org for more on the convention. 360-892-5580.

Keywords: Seaside, astronomy, NASA, Cannon Beach, space shuttle, Pacific City, Yachats, Depoe Bay, Newport, Lincoln City, Oceanside, Astoria, Oregon coast, science.

Below: more Seaside at night

More About Seaside hotels, lodging.....

More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining.....

LATEST OREGON COAST NEWS STORIES

Back to Oregon Coast

Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net
All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted